Labbu
Encyclopedia
In Mesopotamia
n myth Labbu was a lion-serpent sea-dragon, that was killed by the god-king Tishpak
, "warrior of the gods". The myth recounting the predations and defeat of this supernatural adversary figure, of which the most familiar is Satan
, has Canaanite
origins; it appears in two very fragmentary cuneiform
texts: one is in Old Babylonian
; the other, much later, in Assyrian
, was discovered in the library of Ashurbanipal
(CT 13.33, 34). The opening of the Old Babylonian version recalls that of Gilgamesh
:
The vast dimensions of Labbu are described. The sea, tāmtu has given birth to the dragon (line 6). The fragmentary line "He raises his tail..." identified him for Neil Forsyth as a precursor of a later Adversary, the dragon of Revelation
12:4, whose tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.
According to the fragments, "Enlil
drew [a picture of] the dragon in the sky"; whether this refers to the Milky Way
(Heidel 1963) or a comet
(Forsyth 1989) is not clear. The pantheon
of Babylonian gods are terrified by this apparition and appeal to the sun-god Sin
: who will slay the dragon and exercise kingship? Though he is not explicitly identified in the fragments, it is Tishpak
, the protector-god of Eshnunna
, who is appointed as hero. Amidst the storm he creates, bursting open the clouds, he dispatches Labbu with an arrow.
The epic fragments are not part of a cosmogony
, Forsyth notes, as the cities of men already exist. F.A.M. Wiggerman found the myth's function as justifying Tishpak's accession as king, "as a consequence of his 'liberation' of the nation, sanctioned by the decision of a divine council."
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
n myth Labbu was a lion-serpent sea-dragon, that was killed by the god-king Tishpak
Tishpak
Tishpak is an Akkadian god, the tutelary deity of the city of Esnumma .Likely, identical with the Hurrian god “Teshup”.- References :Michael Jordon Encyclopedia of Gods. Kyle Cathie Limited....
, "warrior of the gods". The myth recounting the predations and defeat of this supernatural adversary figure, of which the most familiar is Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, has Canaanite
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
origins; it appears in two very fragmentary cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
texts: one is in Old Babylonian
Old Babylonian
Old Babylonian may refer to:*the period of the First Babylonian Dynasty *the historical stage of the Akkadian language of that time...
; the other, much later, in Assyrian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
, was discovered in the library of Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal |Ashur]] is creator of an heir"; 685 BC – c. 627 BC), also spelled Assurbanipal or Ashshurbanipal, was an Assyrian king, the son of Esarhaddon and the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire...
(CT 13.33, 34). The opening of the Old Babylonian version recalls that of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, modern day Iraq , placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. According to the Sumerian king list he reigned for 126 years. In the Tummal Inscription, Gilgamesh, and his son Urlugal, rebuilt the sanctuary of the goddess Ninlil, in Tummal, a sacred quarter in her city of...
:
The cities sigh, the people...
The people decreased in number,...
For their lamentation there was none to...
The vast dimensions of Labbu are described. The sea, tāmtu has given birth to the dragon (line 6). The fragmentary line "He raises his tail..." identified him for Neil Forsyth as a precursor of a later Adversary, the dragon of Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
12:4, whose tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.
According to the fragments, "Enlil
Enlil
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
drew [a picture of] the dragon in the sky"; whether this refers to the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
(Heidel 1963) or a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
(Forsyth 1989) is not clear. The pantheon
Pantheon (gods)
A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
of Babylonian gods are terrified by this apparition and appeal to the sun-god Sin
Sin (mythology)
Sin or Nanna was the god of the moon in Mesopotamian mythology. Nanna is a Sumerian deity, the son of Enlil and Ninlil, and became identified with Semitic Sin. The two chief seats of Nanna's/Sin's worship were Ur in the south of Mesopotamia and Harran in the north.- Name :The original meaning of...
: who will slay the dragon and exercise kingship? Though he is not explicitly identified in the fragments, it is Tishpak
Tishpak
Tishpak is an Akkadian god, the tutelary deity of the city of Esnumma .Likely, identical with the Hurrian god “Teshup”.- References :Michael Jordon Encyclopedia of Gods. Kyle Cathie Limited....
, the protector-god of Eshnunna
Eshnunna
Eshnunna was an ancient Sumerian city and city-state in central Mesopotamia. Although situated in the Diyala Valley north-east of Sumer proper, the city nonetheless belonged securely within the Sumerian cultural milieu.The tutelary deity of the city was Tishpak .- History :Occupied from the Jemdet...
, who is appointed as hero. Amidst the storm he creates, bursting open the clouds, he dispatches Labbu with an arrow.
The epic fragments are not part of a cosmogony
Cosmogony
Cosmogony, or cosmogeny, is any scientific theory concerning the coming into existence or origin of the universe, or about how reality came to be. The word comes from the Greek κοσμογονία , from κόσμος "cosmos, the world", and the root of γίνομαι / γέγονα "to be born, come about"...
, Forsyth notes, as the cities of men already exist. F.A.M. Wiggerman found the myth's function as justifying Tishpak's accession as king, "as a consequence of his 'liberation' of the nation, sanctioned by the decision of a divine council."